


Overwatch

by NYWCgirl



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Army, Bombs, Gen, Head Injury, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Injuries, Supernatural Elements, Swearing, body/mind swap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-14 11:57:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17508188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NYWCgirl/pseuds/NYWCgirl
Summary: Mac and Jack encounter an IED, what happens next is just plain weird.





	Overwatch

**Author's Note:**

> This fills the ‘body/mindswap’ square on my H/C bingo card.

‘Did you hear me Carl´s junior? Wait for me to get into position, copy?’

‘Copy Jack, I heard you the first time.’

Mac walks away but does as he is told and waits for his overwatch to take up his position.

‘You’re free to take care of the IED.’

Mac gives Jack a wave and proceeds towards the coordinates he was given. It doesn´t take him long to find the device.

‘I´m in position and I will check out the IED, but at first glance, it looks complicated. I have never seen one like it.’

‘Just be careful.’

Mac studies the box, it appears to be made of solid metal, there are no openings and no welding seems, Mac is baffled how they have managed this.

‘Sixteens days man, so be careful.’

Mac smiles and extends his hand to check out the box. The moment he touches the surface, there is a flash and a feeling like he is being electrified. The next conscious moment, he is peering through the scope of a sniper riffle. He sees himself sitting two floors down, flexing his hand. He can see himself looking confused up at himself.

‘What the hell just happened? Macgyver?’

Mac freaks out, that is him talking, what happened?

‘Mac?’

‘I… I don´t know, Jack. Don´t touch the box!’

‘I sure as hell wasn´t planning on touching a freaking IED. That is your job, remember?’

‘I´m coming down, wait for me.’

‘Not going anywhere, Mac.’

The use of his real name, shows how freaked out Jack really is. Mac picks up Jack´s riffle and quickly makes his way down. Jack´s face must mirror the shock and surprise he sees in his own face, when they come face to face.

‘Mac?’

‘Yes, Jack, it is me.’

‘OK, What just happened? Did we get drunk and is this some dream or are the rumors right that the US government experiments with drugs on his soldiers and am I hallucinating?’

‘I really don´t know, but we need to get out of here and take the box with us.’

Mac wants to move to the box but he is still holding the riffle, so he hands it to Jack and checks out their surroundings for something to grab the box with. There isn´t anything so he decides to get the robot out. He quickly drives the robot to the box when another patrol stops.

‘Hey Jack, since when are you playing with the kids´s robot?’

But Franklin, who is bunked in the same tent as Mac and Jack frowns, ‘ did hell freeze over or what? Why is the burger kid holding your riffle Jack?’

Mac is unsure how to respond but Jack saves them, by explaining they have a bet going. The men laugh wishing Jack good luck patting him on the back before leaving. Once the men are gone, Mac drives the robot back to the Humvee and they drive back to base. Once there, Mac tells Jack to get his bomb suit and take the box to the secure location where they keep all the EOD stuff so he can examine it more closely.

‘Why can´t you do it?’

‘Jack, your body doesn´t fit my gear. And we don´t want to attract more attention on ourselves, so we?’

‘No, you’re right.’

Jack quickly walks to the shed where the EOD-team keeps their gear. Luckily there are no colleagues of Mac, because Jack wouldn´t have known what to say to them. When he comes back, Mac is surrounded by teammates and it is clear Mac isn´t really sure how to act. He hopes the others don´t notice the awkwardness he sees in the interaction between Mac and the other guys. He starts cleaning the riffle and he is glad to see that the little nerd is careful with his baby. He can also see the relief in Mac´s eyes when he re-enters the tent.

‘Can you give me a hand?’ Jack asks.

Mac quickly re-assembles the riffle and puts it back in the lock box Jack keeps it in. He gets back up and follows Jack outside.

‘Are the boys giving you a hard time?’

Mac shakes his head, ‘no, they didn´t. Look we need to figure this out soon. We can´t pretend to be each other forever.’

‘I know right? This is weird. Come on, you’re the one with the ginormic brain, fix this before one of us needs to go to the bathroom, I mean…’

‘Yeah, I get it, OK. I will go have a look at it.’

Mac walks towards the EOD shed and is just about to enter it, when the colonel calls out to him.

‘What are you doing, Dalton?’

‘Uh, Mac asked me to get some tools, something to do with the robot. Damn thing is broken again.’

The colonel shakes his head but smiles, ‘ good to see the two of you getting along.’

Mac quickly enters the shed and checks out the cube. He puts on some thick neoprene gloves and starts examining the cube. Because that is what it is, a cube, it is not a box. He wonders how he can figure out what the cube is or does when he is called.

‘Chowtime Jack, let´s go.’

Mac knows it will look suspicious not to go to dinner, since Jack is always one of the first to stand inline. He is not disappointed. Jack is already queuing and Mac can only hope nobody cares about it. Jack takes a tray and starts filling his plate. Mac watches him and is just about to roll his eyes when someone approaches Jack.

‘Hey bomb nerd, I thought you don´t like this slob.’

Jack looks him in the eye while putting the tray down.

‘What did you just call me?’ he steps closer to the guy in an almost menacing way. The guy must see something in his eyes not to engage him, because he takes a step back.

‘Whatever.’ He calls out before leaving.

When it is Mac´s turn he takes care to choose foods Jack would eat and to even ask for a double ration of dessert. He will try to give it to Jack.

 

* *  *

 

Mac wakes early, because he wants to examine the cube further before they’re wheels up for their daily assignment. He is not sure how they are going to do their job like this, and he has to figure it out, because he noticed that more people are looking worried or confused , like when he figured Jack would drive or when he missed a throw last night at the baseball game they played with the guys. Jack would never missed. He enters the shed and decides against gloves this time. He extends his hand…

 

‘Mac?’

‘uh.’

‘Mac, come on dude, you’re scaring me.’

‘hum?’

‘That´s it, open those eyes for me. You can do it.’

Mac does his best to obey Jack´s commands, because he can hear the worry in his voice but it is just so hard. He can feel hands roam over his body, prodding and poking and sensitive spots. When they reach his leg, pain shoots through it and pulls him back into consciousness. His eyes snap open and he immediately closes them again against the bright light of the sun.

‘Wow, Mac, easy. I´m sorry, but I need to know how badly you are injured.’

Mac tries to roll over, but Jack stops him.’

‘Careful, don´t move, we are waiting for a medevac.’

‘What happened?’ he croaks.

‘There was a secondary device hidden and it was triggered when you touched the box.’

‘My head hurts’, he groans.

‘I bet it does, looks like you had that noggin of yours shaken pretty well.’

Mac slowly opens his eyes again but the world spins. It is making him nauseous.

‘Are you going to hurl?’

Mac shakes his head. Big mistake, the world suddenly tilts and this time, he does throw up. He is pulled to his side and agony shoots through him. He wants to take a deep breath but his stomach keeps fighting him. He chokes in misery but can feel a hand rubbing his back while the other makes sure he doesn´t face plants in his own puke. Voices wash over him and then there is a sting in his thigh and the world turns fuzzier. His body tells him he is still in a world of pain, but his brain doesn´t seem to care.

‘Feeling better?’

‘I´m fine. All is good.’

He can hear the voices laugh and he feels a giggle building.

‘Oh man, he really gave you the good stuff, didn´t he?’

He feels fine until he is suddenly moving and his stomach wants to rebel again, so he decides it is better to let go and to just let Jack take care of things. He has his back.

 

* *  *

 

Jack wakes up disoriented for a moment. That was one heck of a nightmare. He shakes his head and stands up. Being in the army learned him to sleep anywhere, but this plastic torture device they call chair makes him feel like an old man.

He looks at Mac, who woke up a couple of hours ago, but fell asleep again. The doctor told him that was perfectly normal since the anesthesia is still in his system. They operated on his leg and it is casted so with four to six weeks, Mac will be operational again. He walks out to find the latrine.

When he has taken care of business, he passes the nurses’ post and starts to flirt with the two nurses, who are glad for the distraction. He is offered some coffee and gladly excepts. It isn´t until one of the patients calls out and the nurses leave that Jack returns to Mac´s bed. Mac is clearly in pain, he is restless and moving.

‘Mac?’ Jack whispers.

‘Mac, you’re having a nightmare. Wake up.’

Mac´s eyes snap open but when he sees Jack he relaxes when he sees him.

‘You’re fine Mac. It was just a nightmare. How is the pain?’

‘It’s OK.’

‘Come on, bro, your leg is pretty busted, you have a serious concussion and busted ribs, you are so fare from fine, you…’ Jack stops his rant when he sees Mac pale.

’I´m getting a nurse, hold on.’

Mac gives a week nod, testimony to how bad he really feels. When he returns, he has an IV bag in his hand.

‘Nurses are busy, so they told me I could connect this and they will check up on you when they are ready. Jack hangs the bag on the IV-pole and connects the line to the IV port in Neal´s hand.

‘You know Mac, I had the weirdest dream. You touched an IED and suddenly I was you and you were me. It was the weirdest thing.’

Mac stares at him with big eyes.

‘What? Not feeling well? Let the IV work for a moment, if it doesn´t help, I will get a nurse.’

‘No, I…’

The IV must work rather quickly, because Mac´s eyes start to droop.

‘I had the same dream…’

 


End file.
